“Not The Same Old Me”

August Edition

Ok, Bruh Bruh’s. Let’s cut straight to the chase this month. You’ve been out of school for the last two months. You’ve been sleeping in and waking up late just because. Hanging out late and/or traveling out of town has become a way of life for you here recently and now its all coming to a vast end. Well, let me help you “SNAP BACK INTO REALITY.”

School is about to start soon and our mission this year is to declare that I am (you are) not the same old me (you)! I’m not that guy that I was before I got out of school. Everything about me may not be different and guess what, you might not even be able to see the difference; YET, but I promise you…I’m different. My attitude is different, my thinking is different, and most importantly my responses to others, to things I can’t control, to outside and inside variables, and even those small, insignificant things that I might deem to be too small to even be considered as something needing changed.

You see, fellas, the entire summer was nothing more than preparation. Hopefully you’ve used your time wisely and made the necessary adjustments within in your training period. Going forward, don’t hesitate to holla at me about anything. I’ll talk with you guys later. Please continue to write in and/or email your questions and responses.

“Man Handling The Game”

It’s HERE BABY!! And there is no turning back! We are officially in the heat of the summer and it is HOT! Have any of you been watching the NBA Finals? OMG, its been one of the closest, yet, passionate series of games in a long time. It’s been going back and forth the whole time. In game two, you have Ray Allen who set a NBA all time high record with the most 3 pointers in a Finals game. The Lakers team is said to be falling apart under the leadership of Kobe Bryant. I don’t know, but what I do know is I’m screaming KG (Kevin Garnet) ALL DAY BABY! Then you have over in the real football world, The World of Soccer. It’s World Cup Madness. This sport is so intense, they not only play year round but they also have to wait 4 years between each World Cup appearance. My opinion is Soccer has the most physical and well endurance athletes in sports today.  Now, I’m a huge Lional Messi fan who happens to play for FC Barcelona, but this time around, I have to root for the under dogs which happen to be USA. We tied with England 1:1 to start our bracket off. I recommend you get plugged in and see what all the hype is about. History is happening as we speak.

Now which ever sport you find yourself watching and/or following, I really feel led to repeat something I’ve mentioned before. It’s about the rules of engagement…from your big brother. Number #1: Be careful in everything you do this summer. Know that your life is far more valuable then one day or night of fun. Number #2: Remember who you are! Though negative situations may try and find you, don’t compromise because what you compromise to keep, you’ve lost already. And number #3: be responsible for your own actions. Fellas, remember I’ve been where you are before during sometime before. I hope you guys have fun, relax yourselves, and most of all grow from wisdom and life’s experiences; what I do not want is for you all to lose track of the value you carry on the inside of you just because it’s the summer.

P.S. Don’t forget to continue writing in and/or emailing me back your responses, comments, and questions and look for a response from me in the next issue. Until then, remember, “Your Present Is Not Your Future.”

“Wet & Wild…The Rules of Engagement”

What’s good, my men? Hope this school year went by fast for you but most importantly, I hope it was a successful one. My desire for you is that you’ve all been implementing many of the things we’ve been discussing in each issue. Now that that’s out of the way, HAPPY SUMMER TIME BABY!

Man, am I glad the summer is here. For some of you this means no more getting up early catching a bus, turning in assignments late (humm), and/or even worrying about if you’re looking fly enough for that lil’ lady in your third period class. For many of you, beaches, parties, fun, and a lot of late nights are ahead of you. Then again, some of you are going to be more goals oriented and focused on obtaining a summer job and “stacking that paper” (saving your money). Which ever group you find yourself in this summer, please take note to just a few…rules of engagement…from your big brother.

“Pressure Burst Pipes”

What’s up, Fella’s! Hope your Valentine’s Day went well and you put into practice those nuggets of wisdom from last month.  I don’t know how many of you are basketball fans, but we are now in the time of year most consider March Madness month. It’s the road where 64 NCAA teams meet up to determine who’s going to be NUMBER ONE! Needless to say this is a lot of pressure for one person; not to mention, the entire team. Well, this month is dedicated to pressure. I’m going to share with you a personal motto that I live by that has kept me from falling into pressures of all kinds.

The motto I live by is, “The Law of the 4-C’s.” The 4-C’s are simple: Never Compare, Complain, Compete, and/or Compromise. We will touch briefly on all four to see how we can keep ourselves defended from any type of pressure that may come our way.

First of all let me say this, “Obedience never brings you into something new, it always brings you into something that’s been written since the beginning.” This is where the 4-C’s come in at. You are already a person of great wealth and you are very rich already. There is absolutely no reason for you to feel the pressure of comparing yourself to another individual; hence, Comparing. Your goal must be to take your last name and keep it as sweet as a honey bun in the mouths and minds of others. Another pressure that attempts to force its way into our lives is complaining. Complaining is a tool used by those who haven’t fully grown up or matured. I know it seems simple and tedious, but babies complain because their diapers are wet or that their bottles are empty. You’re not a baby so don’t get caught up in that circle of complaining with others. Now, competing is known as the silent killer. I call competing, the silent killer because those who fall to this pressure of competing against others rob themselves of the joys of discovering who they really are. I strongly believe that there is no one in the world better at my life than me. Why do I believe this? I believe this because I’m the only one that’s gone through the things that life has specifically thrown me and survived to talk about them. Because I’ve done this, it leads me to never compromise my way of life now. A simple definition of compromising is this, “changing the answer to fit the question.” Once you begin to manipulate your core values, beliefs, and standards to fit in and/or make yourself look better, you’ve begun to compromise and its not long after that things begin to slowly (or rapidly) decline in your life.

Fella’s, know that I love you and I don’t want to hear about you making anymore of the simple mistake that seemed like the world at the time, that I made. Remember, if you have any questions, concerns, or celebrations you would like to share with me or talk about, please feel free to write in the contact us box and just put my name (Gammage) at the top. If I receive any questions, I’ll respond to them by the next month’s issue. Thank you and God Bless.